- Business Area (for chemical, refinery and industrial plants) of a diversified German industrial group
- approx. 22,000 employees
- over 100 sites worldwide
Details about the company
Globally operating company in the mechanical and plant engineering sector
Situation and challenge
The business area is regarded as the Group’s growth division and is expected to significantly increase annual sales
The Business Area comprises four Business Units whose portfolios are as diverse as their traditions, cultures, processes and business models. In addition to the harmonization of structures and processes, the challenge lies in the integration of the Units following several mergers: transparency regarding authorities and responsibilities between Business Units and regions, strengthening collaboration through a shared sense of unity and self-confidence, and instilling a belief in a growth story for the company.
Project
cetacea provides support with a team of several people on site over a period of 1.5 years
cetacea’s tasks: Initiation and support of the comprehensive transformation and growth program, which is scheduled to run for several years, through necessary communication and change management measures.
Result
The business area is on a growth path:
- Sworn-in top management
- Global Top40 team grown together
- Motivated management team with an understanding of the growth trajectory and their own roles
- Improving cooperation between the regions and Business Units
- Successfully progressing business initiatives
- Business development according to plan
Procedure
cetacea assumes responsibility for the “Communication & Change” workstream in close coordination with the strategy and communication departments.
To gain a clear picture of the starting point for the program, cetacea conducts an initial assessment. The strengths and weaknesses of the organization as well as the necessary and most urgent measures become clearly visible: presenting the entire growth and transformation program and its key elements in a consistent Big Picture, and establishing defined leadership circles within the Business Area and involving them in shaping the program further.
The Big Picture with all its elements is subsequently developed and filled with content by the entire Executive Board with the participation of top management. This creates a common and unified understanding of the program’s goals and content from the outset.
To foster a shared commitment, collaboration, and engagement of management at various levels in the interest of the overarching goals of the Business Area, leadership circles are established that perceive themselves and act as such: Top40 Leadership Team, Top300 and Top1400. There is extensive discussion with everyone about the program’s goals, content and progress – for example, at management events, in webtalks and in many other formats. At the same time, work is being done to change the leadership culture. Moving away from opaque decision-making processes, hierarchical thinking, a bureaucratic mindset, and risk aversion towards an entrepreneurial spirit, transparency, and a willingness to take calculated risks rather than focusing solely on avoiding mistakes.
The accompanying communication supports the understanding of the program and reports on the progress of initiatives. Beyond the regular media of the communication department, managers are regularly provided with documents to support them in their communication with their teams.
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We are award-winning!
We have been voted one of the best consulting firms for change management transformation in Germany in the renowned consulting ranking of the business magazine "brandeins" five times in a row.
In addition, we have been consistently named "Top Consultant" for Change Management by FOCUS BUSINESS since 2021.
In each case, both consultants (peer-to-peer) and customers were interviewed.
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